Margaret Nisbett
Encyclopedia
Margaret Nisbett, MBE
, (born 9 January 1929) is an Australian coloratura soprano
.
. She had an older sister, Coral (Capelin), now deceased.
Margaret always loved music and, as a child, performed small concerts at home with her sister, as well as at her local Church of England.
She attended Tyler Street Primary School in Preston and later Preston Girls High School http://www.prestongirls.vic.edu.au/Pages/history.html until the age of 15 (typical for the time) and showed a great interest in French, History and Painting. Upon leaving school she trained as a short hand typist and worked in that field for a time.
Margaret married Jon Weaving
in 1952 and their only child (Jon Hugh Weaving) was born in 1955. They were separated in 1959.
She has one grandson, Talon Ashley Weaving, born 1985.
Margaret still lives in the family home in Victoria, Australia.
Later, whilst working as a typist, Margaret also competed in many singing competitions and performed at concerts. She joined the National Theatre School where she studied Opera for 2 years and performed in many operas.
In 1947, at age 18, Margaret was given her “big break”. While still working full time, as well as studying, she was understudying the lead role of Gilda in Rigoletto, which was being performed at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. Due to the leading lady falling ill and with only 24 hours notice, she was asked to perform the lead role on opening night. This was a great success, receiving the first of many standing ovations and immediately establishing her as a new "star" of the operatic stage..
Margaret continued studying (her singing teacher during that time was Pauline Bindley, a famous operatic soprano of the bel canto style) and entered many of the biggest singing competitions in Australia, including Geelong, Ballarat and the Mobil Quest. Conductor and (future) TV producer, Hector Crawford http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/crawfordhec/crawfordhec.htm, created the famous Mobil Quest in 1949 and it seems unlikely that any other country in the world had, at the time, the same sort of serious singing competition on radio solely concerned with "bringing to the attention of the public the best vocal talent available in the Commonwealth", and requiring each competitor to sing an operatic aria. The second winner of the rich Mobil Quest prize (in 1950) was Joan Sutherland
. Margaret won the Mobil Quest in 1951 and amongst the other finalists that year were soprano June Bronhill
. The finalists toured Australia with conductor, Hector Crawford. Margaret’s prize included the opportunity to study opera overseas and, in 1954, she departed for England with her husband, Jon, where she continued studies under Dino Borgioli
and Clive Carey
, who was also Joan Sutherland's teacher.
Margaret’s previous experience as a typist enabled her to continue singing lessons, while auditioning for opera companies. The group of expat singers and musicians with whom she was friendly included Richard Bonynge
, Joan Sutherland and June Bronhill.
Margaret was in great demand by a number of opera companies; she sang full time with London’s Sadlers Wells for 8 years as one of their leading ladies. Her roles included Adele in Die Fledermaus, Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. During this time she also performed for BBC
(British Broadcasting Corporation) TV and Radio.
Margaret returned to Australia in late 1962.
In 1965 she was approached by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
(ABC) to perform a series of operas for TV, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
She performed the role of Maria in The Sound of Music touring Australia for 15 months, including at the Sydney Opera House
.
She performed a successful 36 week series on ABC TV Margaret Nisbett Operetta.
During the 60s Margaret was a regular guest on the Melbourne variety show In Melbourne Tonight, hosted by Graham Kennedy
.
During this time she also performed at Music for the People, a very popular concert series presented by the Government of Victoria and Melbourne City Council. They were held over Summer at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl http://www.theartscentre.com.au/discover/spaces-and-places/sidney-myer-music-bowl.aspx, as well as Victorian regional centres.
Margaret toured regularly, performing cabaret at various interstate clubs and major venues.
Margaret performed over a number of years at a great Melbourne institution. The Christmas Eve Carols by Candlelight for the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) now Vision Australia during 1970s. These are still held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Margaret was a principal with the Melbourne Opera Company in the early 70s, performing with others such as Norman Yemm.
In the late 70s, Margaret toured Canada and the USA with Mervyn Simpson and the Footscray-Yarraville Brass Band. She was the compere and soloist. The Band won the prestigious World Championship Brass Band Competition during that time.
The State Concert Orchestra of Victoria was a Government funded concert series which toured metropolitan and regional Victoria. Margaret was a soloist for many years. Other artists included baritone John Lidgerwood.
In the early 1990s, Margaret reduced her public performances and commenced a successful career teaching singing. She still has many private pupils and has just (2009) completed a 17 year engagement with the Melba Conservatorium of Music, in Melbourne. Margaret’s pupils include Helena Dix and Christopher Diffey http://www.christopherdiffey.com/Site/Index.html, both having undertaken operatic careers in the UK.
http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1088968&search_type=simple&showInd=true
City of Preston (now Darebin City Council) Community Services Award for her musical contribution to the community.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, (born 9 January 1929) is an Australian coloratura soprano
Coloratura soprano
A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano who specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs and leaps. The term coloratura refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component of the music written for this voice...
.
Biography
Margaret Nisbett was born in Preston, VictoriaPreston, Victoria
Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892.-Settlement:...
. She had an older sister, Coral (Capelin), now deceased.
Margaret always loved music and, as a child, performed small concerts at home with her sister, as well as at her local Church of England.
She attended Tyler Street Primary School in Preston and later Preston Girls High School http://www.prestongirls.vic.edu.au/Pages/history.html until the age of 15 (typical for the time) and showed a great interest in French, History and Painting. Upon leaving school she trained as a short hand typist and worked in that field for a time.
Margaret married Jon Weaving
Jon Weaving
Jon Weaving was an Australian opera singer.- Early life and career :He was born on 23 February 1931 in the Melbourne suburb of Kew. His maternal cousin was the tenor Ken Neate...
in 1952 and their only child (Jon Hugh Weaving) was born in 1955. They were separated in 1959.
She has one grandson, Talon Ashley Weaving, born 1985.
Margaret still lives in the family home in Victoria, Australia.
Career
Margaret started piano and singing lessons with Thelma Ford when she was 9 years old. During those first five years of training she competed in The Royal South Street Competition (Ballarat) http://www.royalsouthstreet.com.au/.Later, whilst working as a typist, Margaret also competed in many singing competitions and performed at concerts. She joined the National Theatre School where she studied Opera for 2 years and performed in many operas.
In 1947, at age 18, Margaret was given her “big break”. While still working full time, as well as studying, she was understudying the lead role of Gilda in Rigoletto, which was being performed at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre. Due to the leading lady falling ill and with only 24 hours notice, she was asked to perform the lead role on opening night. This was a great success, receiving the first of many standing ovations and immediately establishing her as a new "star" of the operatic stage..
Margaret continued studying (her singing teacher during that time was Pauline Bindley, a famous operatic soprano of the bel canto style) and entered many of the biggest singing competitions in Australia, including Geelong, Ballarat and the Mobil Quest. Conductor and (future) TV producer, Hector Crawford http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/crawfordhec/crawfordhec.htm, created the famous Mobil Quest in 1949 and it seems unlikely that any other country in the world had, at the time, the same sort of serious singing competition on radio solely concerned with "bringing to the attention of the public the best vocal talent available in the Commonwealth", and requiring each competitor to sing an operatic aria. The second winner of the rich Mobil Quest prize (in 1950) was Joan Sutherland
Joan Sutherland
Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE was an Australian dramatic coloratura soprano noted for her contribution to the renaissance of the bel canto repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s....
. Margaret won the Mobil Quest in 1951 and amongst the other finalists that year were soprano June Bronhill
June Bronhill
June Bronhill OBE was an internationally acclaimed Australian soprano opera singer.-Biography:She was born June Mary Gough in the inland Australian city of Broken Hill, New South Wales...
. The finalists toured Australia with conductor, Hector Crawford. Margaret’s prize included the opportunity to study opera overseas and, in 1954, she departed for England with her husband, Jon, where she continued studies under Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli
Dino Borgioli was an Italian lyric tenor. Praised by critics for his musicianship, he was particularly associated with roles in operas composed by Mozart, Rossini, and Donizetti....
and Clive Carey
Clive Carey
Francis Clive Savill Carey CBE , known as Clive Carey, was a British baritone, singing teacher, composer, opera producer and folk song collector.-Biography:Clive Carey was born at Sible Hedingham, Essex in 1883...
, who was also Joan Sutherland's teacher.
Margaret’s previous experience as a typist enabled her to continue singing lessons, while auditioning for opera companies. The group of expat singers and musicians with whom she was friendly included Richard Bonynge
Richard Bonynge
Richard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...
, Joan Sutherland and June Bronhill.
Margaret was in great demand by a number of opera companies; she sang full time with London’s Sadlers Wells for 8 years as one of their leading ladies. Her roles included Adele in Die Fledermaus, Gilda in Rigoletto, Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro. During this time she also performed for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
(British Broadcasting Corporation) TV and Radio.
Margaret returned to Australia in late 1962.
In 1965 she was approached by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
(ABC) to perform a series of operas for TV, with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
She performed the role of Maria in The Sound of Music touring Australia for 15 months, including at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
.
She performed a successful 36 week series on ABC TV Margaret Nisbett Operetta.
During the 60s Margaret was a regular guest on the Melbourne variety show In Melbourne Tonight, hosted by Graham Kennedy
Graham Kennedy
Graham Cyril Kennedy, AO was an Australian radio, television and film performer, often called Gra Gra and The King of Australian television.-Childhood:...
.
During this time she also performed at Music for the People, a very popular concert series presented by the Government of Victoria and Melbourne City Council. They were held over Summer at Melbourne’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl http://www.theartscentre.com.au/discover/spaces-and-places/sidney-myer-music-bowl.aspx, as well as Victorian regional centres.
Margaret toured regularly, performing cabaret at various interstate clubs and major venues.
Margaret performed over a number of years at a great Melbourne institution. The Christmas Eve Carols by Candlelight for the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) now Vision Australia during 1970s. These are still held at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl.
Margaret was a principal with the Melbourne Opera Company in the early 70s, performing with others such as Norman Yemm.
In the late 70s, Margaret toured Canada and the USA with Mervyn Simpson and the Footscray-Yarraville Brass Band. She was the compere and soloist. The Band won the prestigious World Championship Brass Band Competition during that time.
The State Concert Orchestra of Victoria was a Government funded concert series which toured metropolitan and regional Victoria. Margaret was a soloist for many years. Other artists included baritone John Lidgerwood.
In the early 1990s, Margaret reduced her public performances and commenced a successful career teaching singing. She still has many private pupils and has just (2009) completed a 17 year engagement with the Melba Conservatorium of Music, in Melbourne. Margaret’s pupils include Helena Dix and Christopher Diffey http://www.christopherdiffey.com/Site/Index.html, both having undertaken operatic careers in the UK.
Honours
The Order of the British Empire - Member (Civil) (MBE) in 1980 for outstanding services to Music and the community. This was presented at Government House in Melbourne.http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1088968&search_type=simple&showInd=true
City of Preston (now Darebin City Council) Community Services Award for her musical contribution to the community.
Recordings
- "I Love to Sing" Fidelis Records late 1970shttp://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an41233660
- "Songs of Faith and Glory" Mervyn Simpson and Footscray-Yarraville Band.
- "The Great McCarthy Soundtrack" Bruce Smeatonhttp://australianscreen.com.au/people/Bruce_Smeaton/ 1975http://www.soulstrut.com/features/?item=dj-sheep-55